The project primarily uses surveys and interviews of both lay public and patient-subject samples. A series of online experimental surveys with lay public attempt to delineate the impact of linguistic factors (pragmatics of language) on the way informed consent quality is measured. The results are then applied to patient samples either in interviews or online. The project also employs phone interviews with persons entering or are considering entering clinical trials. In addition to these empirical methods, the project employs normative analysis to evaluate the ethical requirements of informed consent for special types of research studies.